Between a rock and a hard place

Email Print posted by northernlightsdemocrat 09/06/2008 03:17:09 PM EST

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Between a rock and a hard place?  The decision should be clear and concise my friends tell me.  I should be electrified.

Then why aren't I?

Well for one reason we get little details and a lot of hype.  What are the candidates plans?  What are the details to their changes?  I get some from both but not enough to fill the decision plate that will satisfy me in November.

Why are politician's like that?  Maybe because they know any and all details will be used to nail them to the wall by the press?  Is it because purposeful vagueness can be interpreted anyway the voter wants?

And how many of the vague promises are kept?

Why can't the candidates just say what they mean and not leave us hanging or listening to the news hacks on their interpretation?
< Open Thread | Obama/McCain close race? >

Poll

How many details have you gotten from your candidate?
None that I can think of 0%
Some, still a bit gray, but some details 0%
A few 0%
A few, enough to pull the lever for my candidate 0%
Some, maybe half of the big plans have details with them. 0%
A lot 100%
Every plan my guy has I have the details 0%

Votes: 6
Results | Other Polls
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Between a rock and a hard place | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 hidden)
Obama's plan is laid out right here (none / 0)
http://www.barackobama.com/ pdf/ObamaBlueprintForChange .pdf

It's 33 pages long...and it's pretty clear. 
Chris

by chrisandyasemin on 09/06/2008 03:40:09 PM EST

Management Style (none / 0)

There are a lot of details published by Obama, but I think it has to do with his management style.  Obama's management style is to put a lot of effort, and most of the creative energy, into planning.  Then he can setup means to continually monitor how execution compares to the plan, and to make adjustments to the plan and/or the execution early when things are not on track.

There are many examples of this from the Obama campaign.  We can see the results of this management style, particularly in contrast to the management styles of Clinton and McCain, in things like campaign finances and VP selection.  Obama's people might have to work harder than the other guys', but one benefit of the emphasis on planning is transparency.  Like it or not, we know what we are getting with an Obama presidency.

by rbruck on 09/06/2008 04:07:48 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Need more details (none / 0)

I don't understand "need more details" voters.  Both candidates provide tons of details on their websites (although a bit less for McCain mostly because Republicans spend their energy opposing policy proposals put forward by Democrats).  If that's not enough you can go to places like the Tax Policy Center for independent comparisons of the candidates' plans. 

But more basic than the "need more details" voters' laziness to go out and find the specifics for themselves, is their naiveity that they will understand those proposals.  I think of myself as a pretty bright guy.  I have a Masters in Economics.  Am I going to be able to read all of Obama's plans and determine, in a reasonable amount of time, the effect these will have?  No.  And beyond that, will these proposals be the same ones that go to Congress and are eventually passed into law?  No.

What the candidates need to do during the primaries and in the general election is to present their philosophies on how they believe the federal government should be run, and what kinds of laws should be passed.   What you need to know about Obama is that he proposes a federalized health care policy.  Because he doesn't mandate coverage he is signalling that he is a little more open to market based policy than Hillary was.  That's basically all you need to know about his health care plan.  That is enough information to compare to your feelings about how involved government should be in health care, and make a decision. 

As far as tax policy, Obama would raise taxes on corporations and the very richest Americans while lowering it on the middle class.  McCain wants to cut taxes overall by a bit more than Obama, but the bottom four quartiles of Americans would do better under Obama's plan than McCain's.  

Seriously, what else to you need to know about tax policy?  

So to answer the question.  Politicians probably provide more details than you're aware of, or could ever use in deciding who to vote for.  Secondly, they know nobody, or very few people in the press, or the public will ever notice their details, and those details will not matter in the end anyway because all of the bills will have to be written with the help of Congress.  Presidential candidates use policy papers to signal that they are engaged in the issues, and to show you where they lie on the ideological spectum. 

by publius on 09/06/2008 07:28:23 PM EST

Policies (none / 0)
You are right. Most voters don't seem to care about details but mainly about direction and biography. Unfortunately the elections become a popularity contest and not about issues. Look how Palin has fired up Right Wing base without ever mentioning a word of what she stands for in her speech. They don't care as long as she is perceived as being on their side. Smarts, vision, experience, all don't matter as long as she's on their side in god, guns, and gays. It's a sad state of affairs. No wonder Republicans don't want to fund education. Might actually develop some thinking voters and their BS would never pass muster again.

by stanski on 09/07/2008 12:27:46 AM EST

Between a rock and a hard place | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 hidden)
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